Different Start
by Honsuka Sara
Summary: James survived the attack that night. He lost Lily, yes, but at least Harry was safe. But how could he raise Harry without Lily? How could the legendary marauders raise a child?
1. A Night to Remember

**Different Start**

 **Story by Honsuka Sara**

 **Harry Potter owned by JK Rowling**

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It was an ordinary night in Godric's Hollow.

James looked at the heavy bags he's carrying from Diagon Alley. Most of them were milk for his baby boy, Harry, who's running low of milk this evening. The other were snacks, because Sirius and Peter would come for sleepover later tonight, while Remus still coping with his full moon problem. Oh, had his family and him weren't in hiding for now, The Marauders must be stick together to help moony running all night long. Besides, that was what Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail had been doing since their fifth year in Hogwarts. But, yeah, they were in hiding from the darkest wizard since Gellert Grindlewald himself.

Yes, yes, that was Voldemort.

James refused to call him You-Know-Who like everyone else.

By the way, he actually a little bit worried about leaving his beautiful wife and gorgeous son alone at their house, but Lily kept pestering him about grocery and he finally –like always – lost in their battle.

A quite neighborhood, he had, but wasn't it too quite?

Suddenly, he had this nasty feeling and running into the house.

The house has fidelius charm in it. James ran. Lily is the brightest witch I ever knew and she's amazing with charms. He ran faster. Padfoot and Wormtail will come soon. They will protect Lily and Harry with their lives. He arrived at his house.

He shuddered.

Something's wrong.

"Lily! Harry! Lily!" He cried.

The fidelius was somehow off and the front door was unlocked.

"Lily, honey, where are you? Where's Harry? Why's the fidelius is off? What happened to Wormtail?" but no one answered him.

James ran upstairs where Harry's room was located. His bags of milk left somewhere around the front door.

Then he gaped. And cried.

There she was, his wife, lying dead on the floor of his son's room. The horror clearly drawn at her face.

Voldemort. It must be him.

But where were…

A small crying voice reached his ears. "Harry!"

The little boy's eyes were red rimmed. His hands gripped the bar of the crib tightly while his eyes fixed to his dead mother.

"How could… How could he?" James thought.

It felt like someone just stabbed him numerously, not letting him died just yet. And it becoming worse when he saw the lightning bolt scar there in Harry's narrow forehead, still bleeding.

"Dada…"

And James broke into tears. "Harry!"

He picked his son up, kissing his hair and rubbing gently around his scar. James hugged Harry, but his eyes never left Lily's.

"Prongs! Prongs, what happened? The fidelius is off and… Lily!" Came Sirius Black and nstantly there he was beside James on the floor. "James…"

Indeed, it was such a night to remember for the two of them. They cried and learned the truth. They just didn't know what the future might brings. There's no way for them to know that it might ended up much worse for their lives. And for that lives they'd never knew, they'd never thanked.

They lost Lily. They lost half of their lives that night.

Author note:

Hello, Sara's here, and this is my very first fanfiction in this fandom. Just want you to know that English is not my main language so if you'll be kind enough to point me the mistakes, I'll be very grateful. Finally, enjoy the story!


	2. No More Wormtail

**Different Start**

 **Story by Honsuka Sara**

 **Harry Potter owned by JK Rowling**

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"Moony… Pick up… Pick…" Baby Harry said from the floor. His eyes were watering.

Somehow, everyone knew that he knew, that his mother had died. In fact, they were just leaving from Lily's grave, from Lily's funeral. Same with them, baby Harry had tears in his eyes too. Prongs never let him out of his arms if it was not for Sirius's or Remus's. Yes, it was just three of them now. _Just three of them_.

"Moony is tired, Harry. Here, let me pick you up," said Sirius. He leaned down to the floor and took Harry's arms in his but Harry refused. Maybe he missed his Moony for the last few days. His moony always gone for a few days in a month and he always missed him terribly when he came back.

"Nuh… Uh… Moony," Harry pouted. He crossed his arms and gave his best puppy eyes to Remus who's sitting on the couch not far from him.

Finally, Remus sat up. "It is fine, Pads. Let me have Harry."

Harry cheered loudly when Remus's arms came to pick him up. He hugged Moony tightly then.

"You're okay, Moony?" asked James from the other couch in the room. His eyes were red rimmed and he had not been eaten any food since that night. "Your body. Is it strong enough?"

"I'm fine, Prongs," answered him. "Actually, it is possible that Harry gave me some of my strength back. We have to be strong for Harry, right?"

"Yes, we are," whispered James. His eyes didn't focus anymore. It was clear that he had remembered Lily again, and almost no one could interrupt that. Lily's not here anymore. She only lived in James head from now on. Oh, did James feel sorry for losing the argument that night. He should be tougher and wait until morning to go to the grocery.

"Now it is just four of us. You, me, Pads, and Harry. We are going to raise him perfectly. Right, little man?" said Remus while his hands were tickling Harry. Harry's laughing in Remus's lap. He didn't know why everybody was so sad and upset, but here was his Moony made him laugh again. He hoped that no more crying. He hated crying.

"Are you serious, Moony?" shout James. His eyes fixed to baby Harry again. "Raise him perfectly? Just three of us? We're just three twenty-one guys who like pranks and jokes! I can't believe it."

"What is it? Are you doubting us?" asked Remus calmly. He refused to get mad too. He knew that they were far from capable to raise a kid. But they would get some help. Arthur and Frank had boys of their own too and they survived until now.

"No, it's just…"

"Are you serious, _James_?" Remus pressed his word in 'James'. "Lily won't want this. She will want us to be strong and mature for Harry. Right?"

Then everyone stayed silent. It was right that Lily usually handled everything and they just did as she said. It was more than true that three of them would crumble and broke before they knew it. Well, but it was for Harry. For Harry, they could do anything.

"What is it with you guys and telling each other that they are 'serious'?" said Sirius from the other side of the room. "Well I am Sirius, not any of you."

~HS~

It was a typical Sunday evening like usual a few months later. The four of them now living in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, raising Harry as best as they could. James and Sirius are still aurors in Ministry while Remus finally accepted Dumbledore's request as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, a position he had been longing for years but never truly dreaming of because of his furry little problem. Best part was he could floo from his room in Hogwarts to Grimmauld Place every time he had free period and every evening.

"Three, two, one, and… zero! Ready or not, I am coming. Better you have your hiding place secure, little Prongslet," shrieked Sirius from the living room in 2nd floor.

This evening, he and Harry decided to play hide and seek while James doing laundry and Remus cooked for their dinner. It was his evening and Harry, and the baby boy still in the phase where he loved hide and seek very much.

"Harry, oh, Harry, where are you hiding?" said Sirius in a sing a song voice. He had searched the entire living room but still couldn't place where Harry is. That boy sure enough had found a good place to hide. And he was not even two yet! Just imagine him at Hogwarts past curfew, sneaking to the kitchen to grab some butterbear when Filch suddenly appeared to catch whoever student out of bed. Harry will run and hide in a very good hiding place then Filch just had to think that he was dreaming because Harry came and went in a blur. What a future to a Marauders!

But after ten minutes searching, Sirius started to worry. Where is Harry? He entered the laundry room. "Prongs, do you see Harry?"

"What do you mean, 'do you see Harry'? I thought he is playing hide and seek with you?" said James. He stopped what he was doing and started to look for his baby boy with Sirius.

When they arrived to the kitchen, Remus just turned the stove off. "What is it, guys? What are you looking for?" asked him.

"We're looking for Harry. He's nowhere we know of."

"What?! What do you mean, Pads? He's playing hide and seek with you, right?"

James opened the cupboard. "And he must found a very good hiding place."

Remus frowned. "Harry can't be in one of the kitchen cupboard, six feet from the ground, Prongs. He's not even two."

James frowned back. "Better be safe."

But then a giggling sound from above them made three heads moved instantly. There was Harry, _on the chandelier above the dining table_ , sat on one of the flat part while gripping the handle tightly. "Up, up, up," he said.

"Is… Is that…." James couldn't finish his words. Now, he was too proud to even talked.

"That…" said Remus. "…was a very impressive display of an accidental magic. Yes it is."

"Wotcher, Harry! You are going to be a very powerful wizard! Just like your Uncle Padfoot here! Let's conquer the world!"

But then, Harry's eyes fixed on something before he said, "Wormy!"

The three freezed. There in the corner of the room, a rat ran and then it was gone.

"Wormy?" Harry said and pouted. He must be missed Peter too. He just didn't know what Peter had done to him and his mother that night, a few months ago.

The three moved and took down Harry from the chandelier, now save in his father's arms. "No more Wormtail in our lives from now on, Harry. You must remember that."

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Author note:

With Sara again. What do you think of this chapter? I planned to continue writing here in , so, review?


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